Page 85 of Freed

I need space. I need an opening.

The forest thickens ahead, the underbrush growing dense enough that I have to lower my body to push through it. Leaves scrape along my back, branches tug at my fur, trying to slow me down. I force my way through, ignoring the sting as something sharp catches against my side.

Behind me, Blaze curses, his pace faltering for a fraction of a second as the terrain fights him.

Good.

I surge forward, putting as much distance between us as I can. The cliff finally begins to curve inward, the wall no longer a straight barrier but something that juts out in uneven ridges. My eyes scan quickly, searching for anything I can use. A break. A path. Anything.

I see a narrow gap between two massive rock outcroppings, partially hidden by a fallen tree. It’s tight, barely wide enough for me to squeeze through in my wolf form, but it leads away from the open stretch I’ve been trapped in.

I veer toward it without hesitation.

The fallen tree forces me to duck low, my belly brushing the ground as I slide beneath the trunk. Bark scrapes along my back, and for a split second I’m trapped, caught between wood and stone. Panic spikes, sharp and suffocating.

But I keep moving, keep wiggling my body, and finally, I’m through.

I scramble to my feet and keep running, the terrain shifting again as the ground rises into a steep incline. My muscles burn as I climb, each step heavier than the last, but I don’t slow.

The sounds behind me change.

No longer just crashing and breathing. He’s closer again.

How?

A flicker of unease cuts through me, but I shove it down and focus on the path ahead. The incline levels out into a narrow ridge, the forest thinning just enough that the sunlight filters through the canopy above. Shadows stretch across the ground, shifting with every movement.

I risk a glance over my shoulder.

He’s right there.

Closer than he should be, his expression wild, eyes locked on me like I’m the only thing in the world that exists. There’s something wrong in the way he moves, in the way he doesn’t seem to tire the same way a human should.

My chest tightens.

This isn’t right. This isn’t normal. But then again, nothing about Blaze is normal.

A low growl rumbles from me as I push myself harder, my legs straining as I sprint along the ridge. The drop on the other side is steep, not as steep as the cliff I ran from, but enough that one wrong step would send me tumbling down through rock and brush.

I angle slightly left, trying to put more distance between me and the edge, but the path narrows again, forcing me closer than I’d like.

Behind me, his footsteps quicken.

“Keep running, Three,” Blaze calls, his voice hoarse but filled with something twisted and pleased. “I like the chase.”

Rage flares, bright and sudden, cutting through the fear.

My ears flatten as I push forward, lungs burning, heart pounding, the forest blurring around me as I search for anything, any advantage, any way to turn this in my favor.

I just need a little more time.

They’re close. I can feel it.

I just have to keep moving.

Chapter 31

Hunter